Zagar Commissions & Projects

Commissions

Zagar offers two different types of commissioned work. He is available to lead a workshop with members of your community or can build a commissioned piece himself. See below for more information on these two types of commissions.

Workshop Commissions

Isaiah Zagar is available to travel throughout Philadelphia, the United States, and the rest of the world to create his unique artwork. Traveling workshops usually take place over the course of a few days, and can engage an entire community in building an original mosaic mural. Three such workshops have taken place in California, Wisconsin and Mexico.

San Luis Potosi Mural Project, Mexico, 2014

Public Façade – Alameda, California, 2007

This mosaic mural, created in Alameda, California, was commissioned by the Institute for Mosaic Art in Oakland, California. Laurel True, a former apprentice of Zagar’s, is a co-founder and director of the Institute for Mosaic Art. To date, Zagar has led three workshops as part of his signature Visionary Mosaic Mural Making series at the IMA.

Create Uptown Racine – Racine, Wisconsin, 2008

Over the past decade, Racine, Wisconsin, has been transforming decaying parts of the city into a Midwestern haven for arts and community. Upon invitation by Racine mayor Gary Becker, Isaiah Zagar flew in to share his skills and empower local artists. Together, Zagar and residents of Racine built two towering murals just blocks from the edge of Lake Michigan. The mosaics, one 200′ x 12′ and the other, 100′ x 6′, present enormous tiled faces and a mermaid bedazzled by mirror.

Other Commissions

Isaiah Zagar is available for commissioned work in both indoor and outdoor spaces with a mosaic mural made specifically for the projected site. Zagar will come up with a proposal for the space and once the proposal is approved, he will work privately in his Philadelphia studio on individual panels that will eventually be hung together to create the finished piece. The work’s progression will be documented for approval throughout the entire process and when the piece is completed, it will be shipped to the site and Zagar, along with two assistants, will oversee installation. Zagar is also capable of traveling and working from start to finish directly onto the site wall with one or two assistants over the course of a few days.

Pricing for either type of commission depends on site size, shipment, materials, and travel expenses, which will be discussed directly with Zagar. A tax-deductable donation to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, a 501(c)3 organization, is also requested. Serious inquiries must first send a proposal to info@phillymagicgardens.org, and will then be contacted by Isaiah Zagar as he can provide more extensive information about requirements and fees.

One such commissioned piece resides at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Isaiah Zagar was one of twelve artists chosen for the Phoenix Convention Center Expansion Public Art Program. His three mosaics adorn one of the building’s entrances, the largest filling over 300 square feet with colorful grout and playful tiles. The pieces compliment the natural landscape of Arizona by depicting desert animals, cacti, and petroglyph-inspired images. Over two years in the making, this project reached its completion in December 2008 with the Grand Opening of the Convention Center.

Convention Center – Phoenix, Arizona, 2006-2008

Projects

The Prospector Theater

Watkins Street Warehouse

Since completing Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens (PMG) in 2008, Isaiah Zagar moved on to an even larger mosaic installation at his warehouse at 10th and Watkins Streets in South Philadelphia. Zagar is covering the interior and exterior walls with his signature colorful mosaics. The warehouse includes 9,000 square feet of space, which is three times the size of PMG! As this project nears completion Zagar is not sure what the space will be used for, but he hopes it will eventually be open to the public.

Germantown Academy

Throughout the 2012-2013 school year, Zagar worked with Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pa., to create a collaborative mural that transformed one of the school’s white hallways into a colorful, glittering masterpiece. Students and community members created tiles included in the mural and worked with Zagar to assemble the piece that was unveiled in October 2013. Read more about the project here: